Blackhawks: 3 Takeaways from Game 3 against Golden Knights

Takeaway #2: Missed Opportunities

Chicago had a boatload of missed opportunities in tonight’s matchup. As I stated earlier, Alex DeBrincat had 8 shots alone, all of which were saved. Many of these were dangerous chances that could have changed the game had he been able to convert.

DeBrincat was not the only one that failed to capitalize on the Blackhawks. Jonathan Toews had a few decent looks as well, but the best chance of the night came near the end of the first period. Olli Maatta received the puck at the point and sent a beautiful no-look pass across to Patrick Kane. Kane had a wide-open net to one-time the puck but failed to convert. He rang the shot off the outside of the post. Had the shot gone in, it would have tied the game at 1 heading into the intermission, and who knows what would have happened after.

Also as I alluded to earlier, Chicago started out the second and third periods on the Powerplay. If they had scored, this could have caused a major change in momentum. They failed to score on both opportunities as Vegas was able to maintain their lead in the game.

This game as a whole essentially summed up how the Blackhawks have played so far in this series. Chicago has so many post hits in the series, and the amount of missed opportunities has deflated the Hawks’ chances of winning the series.